Friday Foodie Fix – Sweet Potatoes

This week’s Secret Ingredient for Friday Foodie Fix is sweet potatoes. I chose this because I need more sweet potato options. I’ve baked them, made fries and great fritters (remind me to share these with you), but that’s about it. I know there are a lot more options out there and I’m hoping you’ll share them. My husband says he hates them but he does like my fritters. I did make fries once but I had to batter and deep fry them in order to have anyone taste them. You know it’s that whole hide the vegetable thing.

So what do we know about sweet potatoes and is a yams a sweet potato? Yams and sweet potatoes are two entirely different plants. Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. See, they are not even in the same family and the sweet potato is not related to the potato at all. I guess the sweet potato is out there on it’s own.

It is however complemented well by the flavors of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, bacon, turkey, ham and chicken and are luscious with butter, maple syrup, or brown sugar according to the Produce Bible. They also mention sweet potatoes go well in curries, especially coconut-cream based ones. You can bake them, boil them, mash them and even fry them. According to Nutrition Data website, they are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Iron, Calcium, fiber,Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese. Also keep in mind the sweet potatoes with dark orange flesh will have more beta carotene. Don’t forget that research notes eating more beta carotene can delay aging. I wonder if it can make me look younger too?

One more thing. According to the Produce Bible, don’t over buy sweet potatoes, they don’t last very long and store them at room temperature in a well-ventilated spot for 2-3 days and not in the refrigerator. Guess what I’m pulling out of the refrigerator right now!

OK, so now it’s your turn to share your sweet potato recipes here. Use Mr. Linky to add your original recipes then check out what everyone else shared and please share a link back here on your recipe blog post. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to leave the recipe in the comments section. I know there are some family favorites out there so I’d love to see them in the comments section.

I am linking to a recipe for "Paradise Casserole" that originated from the Candle Cafe in NYC. It has three layers of millet, black beans, and mashed sweet potatoes. It sounds strange but works very well! I served it with a gravy, but I think it would be great with a chipotle type sauce as well! This Friday Foodie Fix is fun

Dice equal parts white potato and orange sweet potato. Generously oil a frying pan and fry them until cooked through. They will brown so you have to keep an eye on them. Season with salt and rosemary to taste. Yum!

When I linked up the other day I forgot to look at what next week's ingredient is. So I just came back to check, and guess what? I bought a big package of cranberries on Friday. I didn't know what I was going to do with them, but just felt like using them. Perfect timing!

I love Sweet potatoes! When my daughter was younger I would puree them and put them in everything from spaghetti sauce to casseroles. Now that she is older and I don't have to hide them I put them everywhere! Tonight for dinner we had my favorite dinner for chicken or turkey leftovers. It's sort of like a Shepard's pie with leftovers. I put mashed sweet potatoes or sometimes yams on the top. Yummy!!